Seven Sorrys
by Blatherbee
Summary: Seven times James Potter apologised to Lily Evans over their years at Hogwarts.
1. Chapter 1: First

**A/N: Okay. I'm new to Fanfiction (though I've been reading it for a while), so this is my first story...**

**First, I'd like to ask:**

**Disclaimers- do I need one? I see that some authors write one and some don't. When is one needed? **

**Well, hope you enjoy the story! **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One- First<strong>

Lily Evans, soon-to-be first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, stepped into Diagon Alley with an expression of pure awe on her face. She tugged at the hand of her slack-jawed parent as she hopped around excitedly, taking in every detail of the bustling wizarding street with eager green eyes.

"Mum, mum, look!" she said in a carrying whisper, seemingly straining not to let out an ecstatic squeal. "There's a big pot stirring itself! And- ooh- owls and bats and things! This is _so_ cool…"

Mrs Evans nodded weakly, taking in the cheerful _strangeness_ of the scene. "Yes, Professor Bumdledore- Dudlemo- _Dumbledore_, mentioned this… It's a bit, er, overwhelming, isn't it?"

Lily nodded, all too ready to agree, her rather bright red locks bobbing joyfully. "Where are we going to go first, Mum? Can we go get a wand now? I wish Sev was here, he'd know what to do!"

"We'll need to change the currency first, dear," Mrs Evans stated firmly, and she smoothed down her skirt resolutely with a nod to her daughter. "And we should get your books and uniform before the wand; we don't know how long this wand fitting business is going to take and we told your father we'd be back by two…"

The little girl twirled around in glee and grabbed her mother's hand, skipping down the cobbled lane.

* * *

><p>Lily sighed as she bit into the melting ice-cream, shivering with delight as a pleasantly icy feeling rushed through her head. The midday sun beat down upon the two Evanses as they sat under the barely adequate shade outside the ice-cream parlour.<p>

"This is wonderful," Lily sighed as she lazily followed the movement of a small swirling flame that refused to burn out as it drew hypnotising symbols above the apothecary. What a fabulous, brilliant, spectacular day. If only Sev was here to enjoy it with her… He would have told her everything he knew about every single item they'd bought just to see her gleeful grin.

Her mother nodded absently, rifling through the bags that contained her daughter's new school clothing, cauldron (thankfully bewitched to be lighter than it looked) and other Potion equipment. She scanned the list of requirements she procured and smiled.

"Only the wand to go now, and then we can maybe pick out something special for your father and sister!"

Lily gave an almost indiscernible twitch at the mention of Petunia, but no, she wouldn't let the thought of her bitter sister ruin her day.

"Sure," she said brightly, popping the last bit of cone in her mouth and chomping. Was there something different, special, about wizarding ice-cream as well?

Mrs Evans gathered up the bags of purchases with an exaggerated groan, and Lily, somewhat reluctantly, took up two of the lighter bags. They headed further down the alley to where a solemn looking shop stood, with golden letters proclaiming '_Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC'_ over the door. A single wand lay on a purple cushion in the window, where a bored but respectable looking man lounged idly. He looked up as they approached the door and nodded, smiling at the pair. Lily returned his grin somewhat hesitantly and entered the store.

The interior was small and rather cramped, and save for a worn-looking counter and spindly chair in the corner, it was piled high with long, thin boxes. It made it all the more squished that a young boy and a woman who seemed to be his mother were making their purchases, scattered wands and boxes askew around them.

They looked up as the tinkling of a bell announced Lily and Mrs Evan's arrival, and smiled politely. The storekeeper, a wiry looking man with peppery hair smiled, rather creepily in Lily's opinion, and said that he'd be with them shortly.

"That's fine, take your time!" Mrs Evans replied graciously, moving over to perch on the flimsy chair.

Lily stared at the two customers. They were _wizards_. Somewhere in a poorly educated part of her brain, Lily supposed, she thought they'd all be like Dumbledore; mighty, imposing, with that little bit of madness. But no, these two were like any other person she might see on the street, save for their modestly black robes. The boy was about her age, rather small and thin, with spectacles and messy black hair that made his head look too big. He was in the process of waving wands around. Lily's breath caught in her throat. Actual _wands_! Oh, how she wanted one. The boy took up another but before he could even move it far, the man snatched it away, shaking his head and muttering under his breath.

"No no, _definitely_ not that one! Ah, how about this; eleven inches, mahogany and unicorn hair, pliable."

Eying the shopkeeper as if expecting him to snatch it away any second, the boy gently picked up the wand. He blinked with surprise, staring at his hand, and swished it in the air. A small firework of gold sparks burst from the end with a loud bang.

Mrs Evans jumped from where she was staring aimlessly at the faded floorboards, and Lily clapped her hands together in surprise.

The man clapped his hands too, looking far too gleeful for such an age.

"Oh jolly good! That will do quite well for you, Mr Potter!"

Mrs Potter conversed with the storekeeper as he set about neatly packaging the wand, and the boy ran his hand through his hair, looking a bit too pleased with himself.

As they made to leave and Lily started forward, the Potter boy bumped into her, eyes trained on the box in his hands.

"Oh, sorry!" he cried, putting a hand out to steady her and smiling apologetically.

"N-no problem," Lily replied uncertainly, rubbing her arm self-consciously.

"See you at Hogwarts then!" he said with a grin, and then he and his mother were gone.

"Now, how can I help you?" the shopkeeper asked with a slight bow. "Garrick Ollivander at your service!"

He fixed piercing blue eyes on Lily, and the words that had been in her mouth withered up and died.

Mrs Evans stepped in. "A wand here, for my daughter; she's starting at Hogwarts this year!" she beamed proudly, putting an arm around Lily.

"Wonderful," said Mr Ollivander. "Now, which is your wand arm?"

"Well, I'm left handed…?"

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later Lily was reverently carrying her new wand out of the shop, turning back to wave at Mr Ollivander. Staring down at the soft brown of her new wand, and her head once again swimming with the idea that she was going to do <em>magic<em>, she forgot all about the wizard boy who she'd bumped into that day at Diagon Alley.


	2. Chapter 2: Bully

**Chapter Two- Bully**

It was a frosty January day and Lily was eager to get inside after a freezing morning spent in the Greenhouses with her for-once subdued house and an equally downtrodden Hufflepuff second year class. She overtook her classmates, who were trudging through the slushy snow dispiritedly, and entered the castle with a relieved sigh as the magically contained warmth of the castle seeped into the frozen shell of her body. Slapping her pink cheeks to try and get some feeling back in her face, she stopped abruptly after realising how stupid she must look, standing in the middle of the hall and hitting herself as the rest of the school bustled by. Brushing down her robes, she looked around in embarrassment and headed towards where she knew Slytherin should've just finished History of Magic, only a few corridors away.

Just as she rounded a corner, a hoard of Slytherins and Ravenclaws flooded into the corridor, pushing past her without a second glance as they compared notes and complained about their workload. When the last Ravenclaw picked up a dropped book and scurried away, a slouching figure came out of the classroom; bag slung over one shoulder and hands in pockets, black hair shielding his face.

As Lily as about to call out a greeting, the boy's bag split in two with a loud crack and several bottles of ink crashed to the floor, staining his textbooks. A loud laugh came somewhere to the right and as Lily blinked, a group of boys in Gryffindor robes appeared in front of a tapestry depicting two trolls grappling with each other. Despite the fact Lily vividly recalled seeing them that morning when they'd spilled a whole sack of dragon manure, the four of them didn't look the least bit cold. They had their backs to her and were smirking at the efforts of their victim as he scrabbled around collecting quills with a scowl on his face. The one who laughed loudest also had black hair, sticking up at unnatural angles, and as she watched, he ruffled his hair, grinning at the trio around him. He still had his wand out.

"_Snivelling_ around on the floor, are we, Snape?" mocked his tall friend.

A strange, clawing feeling in her heart, Lily stomped towards them.

"JAMES POTTER!"

The four boys jumped and spun around, and the looks on their faces, ranging from scared to coolly unflustered, would've been comical but for her anger.

"WHAT do you think you're doing?" she shouted, crossing her arms when she came to a metre in front of them.

James' hand flew to his hair, and Lily clenched her teeth as he grinned, somewhat sheepishly, at her.

"Didn't, er, notice you there, Evans," he said.

Sirius Black beside him smiled. "Here to help the ickle Slytherin, Lily?"

"Evans to you, Black." she retorted, "Now go away!"

Peter, another of the 'Marauders', as they liked to call themselves, looked all to ready to scamper away as soon as the words left her mouth.

The fourth addition to their group, a strange, quiet boy called Remus Lupin, merely lurked behind them unsurely, head down and eyes darting between his friends and Severus. Lily grudgingly respected him for his good marks and polite demeanour, but he was still unopposed towards this shameful bullying.

A quick look passed between James and Sirius, the latter giving a slight raised eyebrow. Turning back towards Lily and ignoring Severus (still collecting up books and glowering at them), James gave a bright grin.

"It's all yours, Evans! Enjoy playing with the scum."

Lily thought she let out something akin to a growl as the four brushed past Lily to leave.

"Wait!" she called out angrily.

They turned back, though Peter continued inching along the wall as if hoping to make a quick getaway, his eyes darting between them. James raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Yes?"

"Apologise," Lily said firmly.

"What?" Sirius asked incredulously. "For _what_?"

Lily looked at him coldly. "To Severus. Apologise for destroying his bag."

"C'mon," James said, "all that dragging along the floor would've done it sooner or later… Terrible posture, don't you agree?"

Lily stayed resolutely silent.

"Sirius!" James cried exasperatedly, throwing his hands up into the air. "Explain to Evans that I am not apologising to that Slytherin git!"

Sirius shrugged helplessly, looking bemused.

Severus, having finally mended the bag with a quick spell and stuffed all his belongings in, stood up.

"Lily, let's just go, c'mon…" he implored, but trailed off and fell silent as Lily ignored him, still staring defiantly at James.

James ruffled his hair again, with a quick, angry movement.

"Fine," he said angrily, "but I'm not apologising to Sniv- _him_. So I'm so_ very_ sorry, Evans, for damaging your precious sense of righteousness."

He turned a heel and walked away, Remus and Peter following hurriedly. Sirius- did he just _snort_?- gave Lily a look she couldn't decipher and strolled after his friend.

Lily looked at their retreating backs with disdain. James bloody Potter couldn't even bring himself to _apologise_? Her righteousness indeed. He clearly didn't possess a jot of anything moderately righteous.

"Lily," Severus touched her arm gently, "Should we head to lunch?"

* * *

><p>The Marauders, James at the lead, headed into the Great Hall a while later. Plonking themselves down at the Gryffindor table, they were just in time to see Lily and Snape leave together, probably heading towards the Library, horrifyingly studious as they were.<p>

"Argh!" James gave a small cry of frustration, throwing his hands dramatically into the air. "How can she be friends with _him_? She's a _Gryffindor_, for goodness sake! She's not supposed to be consorting with that… that snake!"

"That rhymes," Remus remarked idly as he helped himself to shepherd's pie, earning himself a 'hmph' from James.

"Why do you care, anyway?" Sirius asked, amused at his friends' antics. "Are you _jealous_?"

Peter laughed. "Yeah, James, angry that she likes Snivelly rather that you?"

James spluttered with outrage. "What are you talking about? It's nothing like _that_! It's just- she's a Gryffindor, that's all."

"That's _all_, is it? Merlin, we should get Evans around him more; this is _funny…_" Remus said, smiling as James ruffled with hair again, bright spots on his cheeks.

* * *

><p>Leaning against Severus, shaking from silent bouts of laughter, Lily glanced over at the librarian.<p>

"Stop it!" she whispered, hitting him in the arm. "You're going to get us into trouble!"

Sev ducked his head, pleased that he'd made her laugh, and went back to his homework.

As Lily, still stifling the odd giggle, distractedly went back to reading about heating charms, she temporarily forgot about the boys whose nagging not-cold-ness had got her curious in the first place.


	3. Chapter 3: Prank

**Chapter Three- Prank**

Halloween, 1973. The corridors of Hogwarts Castle were empty and still, limp orange and black decorations hanging here and there, stirred by a slight breeze. Not a single soul, dead or alive, seemed to be present that night. However, all that changed as soon as you stepped into the Great Hall; a mass of laughing, screaming and generally noisy students, adorned for once in their pointy hats. The a thousand and one floating candles that usually lit up the Hall had been replaced by hundreds of giant pumpkins, bobbing as if on water above the heads of the students.

At the Gryffindor table, Lily Evans sat, her hand propping up her chin as she half-listened to Alice, a usually-intelligent fourth-year, gush about the new boy who'd asked her out. Catching Lily sigh exasperatedly as she started about his _ever_ so gentlemanly ways, Alice nudged her, grinning.

"Too young for this, are we, little third-year?" she teased, as Lily shot a look at her. "Not looking at the boys yet?"

Lily grunted in a non-ladylike manner, stabbing a piece of apple pie, and sneaked a look to where Severus sat with the Slytherins, making quiet conversation. The Gryffindor table, by contrast, was loud and rowdy, screaming as ghosts popped out of their plates of food and shrieking and clutching each other as bats swooped over their head.

"But I reckon some of the boys have got their eye on you, Lily," Alice was saying, eyeing Lily slyly. "Especially James Potter-"

"WHAT?" Lily spluttered, coughing up the swig of pumpkin juice she'd just taken. "How'd you get- why would you think- he HATES me!"

"What? Who?" Marlene McKinnon swung around, suddenly interested. She was a fellow third-year and nice enough, though Lily had always thought her a bit too… generic for her taste.

"Alice thinks some boy likes me," Lily mumbled before Alice could open her mouth. "But he doesn't, he HATES me!" she assured quickly.

"That's what they all say," Marlene said, nodding sagely. "_And_, if Alice says so, it probably is. Aren't you dating that cute fifth year?" the last part directed at Alice, who squealed excitedly and went back to raving. Lily shook her head, smiling. And Alice had made such good company last year… That was, when Severus wasn't there.

She sneaked a glance towards the other end of the table, where, big surprise, Potter was surrounded by all his mates and admirers as he told another lame joke and burst into laughter. However much Lily despised him, sometimes she was that teensy bit jealous of the Marauders and their close-knit friendship. Since this year, Remus and Peter, who'd always hovered on the outskirts, were now firmly part of their group. Indeed, Lily had noticed a change in Remus this year; he seemed so much friendlier, less cautious and just happy. Sometimes she would see him looking on as his friends pulled some silly stunt and laughed themselves stupid, with such an ecstatic expression on his face, as if he couldn't believe they were his friends. Not that she looked over at the Marauders a lot, of course.

Right on cue, Potter looked towards the Head Table, and, incidentally, his eyes passed over her. Seeing Lily blush being caught staring at them, he grinned at her. Shocked at his friendliness, Lily followed his eyes to where the bats where now hovering as a cloud over the teachers, and with an audible plop, preceded to all poop at once, covering the table and splattering them with unnatural, though festive, shades of bright orange and black.

There was laughter and pitying groans as the teachers looked up slowly, all seeming to zone in on the Gryffindor table. James, smiling with the others, met their eyes with an innocent and politely confused look on his face.

* * *

><p>At the other end of the table, James put his head down, trying to shovel in bits of potato as his shoulders shook with laughter. Sirius nudged him, concealing his own grin, and nodded towards where Dumbledore was prodding at the bat mess, chuckling. The assembly of students 'ew'ed collectively as he bent close and sniffed.<p>

"Strawberries," the professor declared. "That was one of the more spell-oriented ones, I have to say. I expect great things from the end of year exams!"

This managed to wipe the smirk off Peter's face and he groaned slightly, grabbing a handful of Fizzing Whizbees.

Remus snorted, "You gotta love Dumbledore…"

Sirius looked at him in mock horror. "My poor naïve Moony, I think you might want to turn your affections somewhere else… Take Lily Evans, for example."

James frowned suspiciously at Sirius. "What about her?"

"Well," said Sirius with a sideways glance, "she was practically in raptures staring at Remus here a minute ago."

Remus coloured, suddenly busy staring at the variety of food in front of them. "Well, erm, might as well do stage two now, huh?"

Peter perked up at this and switched his excited gaze to James. "So? Have you picked a target? We still going with Snape?"

"Actually," Sirius interjected, "I was thinking if Moony and Prongs here don't _object_, how about Miss Evans?"

Remus frowned. "She's not the type to get all worked up over creepy-crawlies, I would say. James?"

"Why not?" he said casually. "She practically mauled us all in the Common Room last week anyway."

Sirius smirked and inconspicuously pulled out his wand. He muttered and flicked his wand towards the ceiling, attracting a couple of eyes his way.

For a moment, there was no change.

Then, almost imperceptibly, a few of the bobbing pumpkins above the Gryffindor table began to converge suspiciously towards where Lily Evans was sitting. As three hovered directly above her, there was a flurry of nudges and whispers, and for a second all eyes turned their way, and there was a hush.

Lily Evans looked up.

And hundreds of small black spiders streamed out of the grinning mouths of the pumpkins and fell onto her. Lily uttered a long piercing scream and her friends around her looked in shock as she jumped up, still screaming in panic and doing a strange brushing dance.

No one laughed. Marlene gasped and put her hand to her mouth.

Sirius nudged Remus and muttered under his breath, "I would say that you're a terrible judge of character."

Remus looked at James with panic in his eyes and James stared back. Peter nibbled nervously on a sweet, breath drawn.

There was a bang, and the spiders on Lily froze and fell to the ground, smouldering gently. She was panting, knuckles white on her wand, not exactly the picture of calm and control.

"You're in trouble now," Frank Longbottom muttered to James, edging slightly away from him.

"Potter!" she screamed, eyes locking onto his hazel ones instantly.

Her strides were long, fast and purposeful, and James scrambled out of his seat, tripping over his feet as he backed away.

"E-Evans? I'm really sorry. Really, _really_ sorry. Um. Lily?"

Lily flourished her wand mercilessly and he broke into a run, looking back over his shoulder as he dashed out of the Great Hall.

"NO! You are NOT getting away this time!" Lily yelled, chasing after him, her reddish-auburn hair streaming behind her.

"Potter! POTTER!"

The running footsteps and shouts receded as they both disappeared, and a single anxious laugh broke out.

Sirius looked from Remus to Peter. "Maybe I shouldn't have suggested that."

* * *

><p>An hour later James Potter sat on his four-poster bed in the boys dormitory, staring mournfully at two furry black spider-legs where his hands used to be. Sirius was crying with laughter.<p>

"Where'd she even learn this stuff? I'm the one who's good at Transfiguration, and I can't even pick up my wand!" James moaned.

Not far away, Lily Evans scrubbed furiously at her arms, more angry than disgusted. She was not going to forget this one for a while.


	4. Chapter 4: Change

**Chapter Four: Change**

It was not far into the day when James Potter admitted to himself that he probably shouldn't have had that last Easter egg the night before. It had been gargantuan, wrapped in shiny, inviting gold foil and just… sitting there. This realisation came after a series of strange and slightly frightening events.

Firstly, he had smiled at Lily as he passed her in the corridor. She scowled and averted her gaze, of course, but the fact was that he'd _smiled_ at her. James Potter did _not_ smile at Lily Evans. She was stuck-up, righteous and no fun at all. Lily was-

_Secondly_, he'd started referring to her as 'Lily' in his head. That wasn't right. James Potter was firmly on a last-name basis with Lily Evans. Evans. Lily _Evans._ Evans. Evans. Evans, Evans, Evans. _Not _Lily. Lily _Evans. _Lily Potter. Hmm, not bad… Wait, no-

He was going mad. Something was wrong with him. It was probably the Easter egg. Really, who would leave a jewel like that lying out in the open? Spiked. It had to be.

"Prongs?"

James' head jerked up from where it had been in his hands, and he looked around wildly until his gaze landed on a sheepish looking Remus.

"What?" he snapped, rubbing at his temples.

Remus stared at him worriedly. "It's just… you were muttering to yourself. You don't look too well; you should go to Pomfrey."

Hospital Wing? Good idea. No class, no people, no Li- _Evans_. Just what he needed; a potion and a snooze.

"Yeah, yeah I will actually." James said, perking up. "Tell old Sluggy for me, will you, Moony?"

Leaping up and grinning widely, he skipped around a bemused Remus and out the portrait hole. It was times like this he really wished he could whistle.

* * *

><p>"Hey Lily."<p>

Lily glanced over her shoulder from where she was setting up her cauldron, and smiled when she saw Severus.

"Care to join me, Mr Snape?" she said with a flourish at her Potions workbench.

"I would be honoured," he replied solemnly, setting down his books.

A gleeful clap came from Professor Slughorn at the front of the room.

"Wonderful! Let's get started shall we?" he said enthusiastically.

The Gryffindors and Slytherins stared back blankly.

"Ah," Slughorn continued, not noticing their lack of spirit, "and where might Mr Potter be?"

Lily sighed. Off course the prat would be late.

"He's sick, sir," Lupin called from where he was at a table with Peter Pettigrew. "He's gone up to the Hospital Wing."

"Ha, 'sick'," muttered Sev quietly, "just a scheme to get out of actual _work_."

Lily shrugged, but Potter _had_ seemed a bit pale this morning. He had the nerve to _smile_ at her this morning, something he had seemed wary to do since the spider fiasco last year, but had blanched and hurried away soon after. And Black, by himself at the table next to his mates', did seem quite worried. As Lily looked in contemplation, he sent a quick glance her way and scowled when he met her gaze, as if she was to blame. Of _course_. Couldn't even accept the consequences of whatever they'd done to land Potter in the Hospital Wing. She frowned back at him and turned away.

"Poor boy," Slughorn was saying, "but I guess he can afford to miss this lesson. We'll just be looking at the properties of some more complex potions ingredients today."

The class groaned collectively, and Slughorn, quick to appease, called out, "But I'll let you do a little experimenting when you've got the properties written down!"

As a list of ingredients appeared on the blackboard with a flick of Slughorn's wand and they rummaged for quills and textbooks, he passed next to Lily and Severus and leaned down, whispering, "I'm expecting big things from you two with this."

* * *

><p>Severus Snape leaned back and watched her as she eyed some mistletoe berries critically, their cauldron on a soft simmer. Lily tucked a piece of red hair behind her ear as she held up the jar, squinting to see if there were any spoiled ones. She was really quite pretty, beautiful even. And she was an extraordinary witch, whatever her blood status. <em>Such <em>a pity that she was a Gryffindor; Slytherin would be so much better for her… She noticed him gazing at her and cocked her head to the side, raising an eyebrow.

"What? You're supposed to be monitoring the cauldron!"

Severus opened his mouth to reply, but then the potion started sputtering, emitting sparks and turning a strange shade of violet.

"Ah, no!" he moaned, grabbing for his wand.

"Sev!" Lily sighed in exasperation, but before she had the opportunity to say anything further, the cauldron spat out a jet of violet potion that splattered the bench, a drop hitting her on the cheek.

Everyone had paused in their work to stare at them, and Slughorn put a hand to his mouth in shock.

Because Lily Evans was turning purple.

The mauve-ish stain was spreading across her cheek, until half of her face was largely purple. Catching sight of herself in the cracked mirror on the opposite wall, her mouth dropped open and she poked at her flesh gingerly. Severus looked at her in horror.

"Oh dear," Slughorn said worriedly, hurrying forward, "what _have_ you managed to do, Miss Evans? Though I suppose it _is_ quite a remarkable shade."

This broke the spell and the class started tittering, Black jogging Pettigrew with his elbow with a wide grin on his face. Slughorn rifled through their sheets of parchment recording what they'd done with the potion, muttering and shooting concerned looks at Lily.

"Never mind," he said comfortingly, "it shouldn't do any permanent damage, just, er, go up and see Madame Pomfrey, will you?"

Lily, blushing furiously, shot a look at a flustered Severus and hurried out of the dungeon.

* * *

><p>James lay on one of the beds in the Hospital Wing, the curtains drawn and staring up at the ceiling. Madame Pomfrey had, most hurtfully if he might add, suspected him of trying to get out of lessons, but after some pleading and a quick temperature manipulator spell, he managed to convince her to let him stay for a lie-down. But he still couldn't help thinking about Lily Evans. She was the most annoying, haughty person he knew, but he couldn't help laughing at the jokes she told when she thought he couldn't hear. It seemed that, with everyone except for him, she was witty and funny, understanding and kind. And, of course, she had the most beautiful pair of green eyes that he'd ever seen (though he managed to forget the look of disdain they usually had when they looked at him).<p>

He heard the Hospital Wing door swing open, and Madame Pomfrey come tutting out of her office. Monday mornings were quiet in the Hospital Wing, he'd discovered, and patients were rare.

"Ooh," he heard Madame Pomfrey say, and he could envision her pursing her lips, "What in the name of Merlin have you done to yourself, Miss Evans?"

James nearly toppled off his bed with surprise and muffled a curse with the sheets. Was she following him around or something? Since when did Miss Perfect land herself in the Hospital Wing?

"Just sit over on that bed there, dear," Pomfrey was saying, "and I'll go get something for it, best not take a risk with a spell, eh?"

"Yes, Madame Pomfrey," came Lily's glum voice.

James heard her take a seat on the bed next to his. Suddenly, his curtains were ripped open and he found himself looking at Pomfrey's exasperated face.

"If you're not going to rest, Mr Potter, I think you can go now. Scurry off and have lunch, there's a good boy."

James scowled at her back as she bustled off. But then his gaze fell upon Lily and his eyes widened.

"Oh wow, Evans," he said coolly, grateful for how easily he slipped back into his usual demeanour. "That's quite a magnificent skin tone you've got going there."

She looked at him coldly and he couldn't help being drawn into her eyes. Actually, the purple kind of suited her, brought out the green.

"What?" she snapped. "You want pincers too now?"

James flinched at the memory and tore his gaze away. They sat in a tense silence broken only by Pomfrey rummaging through the potion stores, Lily looking determinately at the floor.

"Here you are," Madame Pomfrey said, handing a vial of clear, viscous liquid to Lily, "drink it all up, and you should be fine!"

Lily, still looking stubbornly angry, took it and tipped her head back, downing it all in a swift motion. A shiver ran down her body, but, the bright purple patch on her cheek shrank quickly until it was the size of a speck and then gone. She looked at herself in the mirror that a smiling Pomfrey held up, and, mood abruptly changing, thanked her enthusiastically.

Madame Pomfrey looked at James and grimaced. "I thought you'd be on your way by now, Mr Potter. Go on then, both of you, get to lunch!"

James hopped off the bed with a sigh that clearly said, _I would be _ever_ so grateful if I could stay_, but she ignored it and made a shooing motion at the pair.

Admitting defeat, James followed a leaving Lily, and couldn't help marvelling at the shiny _redness_ of her hair.

"Hey, Evans! EVANS!" he said impulsively, running to catch up with her as they came out into a corridor.

"_What?_" she said brusquely, whipping around.

James smiled, turning up the placating charm a notch.

_What the _hell_ do you think you're doing, James Potter_, he thought frantically, but his body seemed to have grown a sentience of its own.

His hand automatically ran through his hair. "Y'know, Evans, you aren't that bad."

Lily's eyebrows raised at this and she looked at him disbelievingly. "Oh really? Wow, I feel so flattered."

On second thought, maybe that wasn't a good line to start with. But James ploughed on.

"So wanna go to Hogsmeade with me sometime?"

_What?_ The small, same part of his brain was shouting. _She hates you, you IDIOT. _

He wasn't THAT bad, was he? James had always thought they'd had a… connection.

_Yeah, that her fist wants to connect with your face every time she sees you. _

And he knew that he wasn't bad looking. Being honest, he was probably very near the top of that scale.

_You think she CARES? This is Lily Evans, for goodness sake. _

He was funny, and, besides Lily, top of nearly every class. Star of the Gryffindor quidditch team.

_Oh, let's see what SHE thinks, shall we?_

Lily had crossed her arms and her head was cocked to the side, her expression flat.

"Oh har har, very funny. It's new, at least. If that was some pitiful ruse to get me flustered or whatever, it didn't work. See?" She gestured to herself. "Calm, collected, unamused."

_Wait, what? _

"What? No, I mean it! Really! Why would you – okay, but still –" He stopped.

Lily was looking at him in sceptical disbelief.

_Okay, maybe we can just back out of it now, nice and easy. _

Then again, he _was_ a Gryffindor.

"Lily Evans, in all seriousness, will you go to Hogsmeade with me?"

Something must have finally convinced her of the authenticity of his words, because she seemed to be taking on a tinge of purple again, her mouth gaping.

James tried to convince himself this was because she was so stunned at his offer. Happily stunned.

Finally, Lily let out a few strangled words. "_What?_ Are you bloody SERIOUS?"

This wasn't good. Lily Evans did not land herself in the Hospital Wing, and never did she curse.

"No," James said, his smile faltering a bit. "I'm James."

Lily didn't take this too well. "You are such an annoying, stupid PRAT, James Potter. No. I can't believe you'd even- just, _no_. "

"I wasn't-"

Okay, maybe today just wasn't the day. She really wasn't herself.

She crossed her arms and glared at him, and James had to commend her for not faltering. Then he realised what she was waiting for.

"Oh, hell no, Lily-"

"_Evans._"

"Yeah, Evans, I am _not_ apologising!"

More glaring. Raised eyebrow.

"I didn't do anything wrong!"

"You try _so hard_ to make me feel bad, uncomfortable. You try to annoy me with _everything_ and now you _ask me out_?" Lily said heatedly. "Either you're just messing with my head again, or you are just an insensitive, _hugely_ unobservant moron!"

She ended on a shout, breathed heavily for a moment, then turned her heel and stalked away.

James blinked at her retreating back. He ran a hand through his hair.

_Told you._

* * *

><p>Lily slammed the door to the girls' dormitory and huffed as she collapsed onto her bed. Mary and Lillian, back early from lunch, turned and began to sigh in exasperation, but stopped when they saw the thunderous expression on her face.<p>

"What happened?" asked Marlene.

"Just James Potter being his usual self," Lily answered, rolling her eyes. She didn't feel like telling the exact truth; she knew that, among incomprehensible others Marlene and Lillian fancied him.

With a groan, Lily buried her face into the soft Hogwarts pillows, tried to forget the insanity of the morning's occurrences.

* * *

><p><strong>Feel very free to leave a review :)<strong>


	5. Chapter 5: Ruined

**Chapter Five – Ruined**

"She doesn't want to talk to you. She doesn't want to _see _you. She doesn't want to be anywhere _near_ you!"

Mary Macdonald scowled at him, her arms crossed defiantly.

"Macdonald, will you just –"

"Not that she's in any state to form coherent sentences," she continued, raising her voice above his, "locked in the dormitory sobbing her heart out. How could you? I mean, with the rest of us you have no qualms bandying names about, but Lily actually _liked_ you. Like, the rest of us have no illusions about what a twisted, evil little git you are, but Lily thought you were her best friend. And you _attack_ her like that when she's the only one who even _tries _defend you? Your little Slytherin mates did nothing when James had you up in the air, unless you didn't notice. But no, you're just like the rest of them, it's just so – so _horrible_!"

Severus stood there as Macdonald ranted, a scrunched, tight feeling in his chest. He'd upset Lily. But it was a _mistake_, he wasn't thinking right; Potter had provoked him, made him so _angry_. He hadn't been himself. He had to tell her, explain. Lily, he couldn't lose Lily, they _were_ best friends.

He sighed when the Gryffindor stopped and glared at him huffily. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? Just tell Lily, tell her I just need to talk to her. Please. Mary."

"Don't you 'Mary' me! Can't you just go away and leave her alone? She doesn't need you at the moment. She doesn't need you _ever_. Her house, her _friends_, will take care of her," she retorted stubbornly.

Her words caused another twinge of pain but his patience was wearing thin. "I'm not going anywhere until I talk to her! I'll sleep here if I have to," he said in frustration, jabbing at the ground where he was standing to emphasise the point.

MacDonald flung her hands up in exasperation. "Whatever, I'm not staying here with you any longer." she said, climbing back through the portrait hole.

* * *

><p>Severus was left there standing there stubbornly for another twenty minutes, and he was starting to think he might have to wait the night out here after all. But the portrait hole swung open again and this time it was Lily who stepped out, accompanied by Frank Longbottom. He glared at Severus, who stared back blankly, not wanting to risk provoking him.<p>

"You sure you'll be alright, Lily?" Longbottom asked her, his hand on her shoulder like she was some kid he didn't want running off.

Lily smiled wanly at him and nodded. "Yeah, I'll be back soon."

He shot another look at Severus and then went back into the common room, the portrait swinging shut behind him. Now, it was just the two of them, in a silent corridor. Lily was wearing a lavender dressing gown, her hair loose and unbrushed, her face scrubbed but still bearing marks that she had been crying. She stared at him defiantly, daring him to challenge the fact, and it hurt him to see her face so closed and mistrustful. But she was still so beautiful, always so strong and kind, and what had he done to her?

"I'm sorry." He blurted out.

"I'm not interested," she replied snappishly, expression not even changing.

"I'm sorry!"

"Save your breath." Still unmoved. "I only came out because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here."

_At least she still cared, a bit, though she'd probably be nicer to some dirty stray outside her door…_

"I was. I would have done." The words were so jumbled, rough. He'd been going over what he would say to her all afternoon, and, needless to say, it was supposed to be so much more eloquent. "I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just –"

"Slipped out?" she spat, "It's too late."

Lily continued speaking, unrelentlessly, and the worst part was that he couldn't rebuke it; he couldn't deny the words that she was hurling at him with such disgust.

"No – listen, I didn't mean –"

"– to call me Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?"

_Because you're not like them. Because you're my friend. Because – because I love you. _

But Lily had turned her back, and with a last look of contempt, went back into the Gryffindor common room. Wasn't this the part where he was supposed to run after her? Proclaim his love, and secure hers? But there was a grumpy portrait tut-tutting between them, and as the finality of 'it's too late' came crashing down around him, he turned and walked away into the shadows.

* * *

><p>When she woke up that morning, curled up in a mess of blankets and blinking eyes weary from tears, it took her a while to remember what had happened the day before. And then she did and felt terrible. Sev had called her Mudblood. Sev was gone. Doubts still floated around her head. Maybe she should've heard him out, given him another chance. No, Alice and Mary were right. A simple 'sorry' wasn't going to fix anything. She'd made excuses for him again and again and this time it was unforgivable. They had always been right. She just refused to see what he was becoming. When exactly had he stopped being her best friend and becoming that? Or was he always –<p>

_Enough. _Lily took a breath in and forced jumbled thoughts away. She had to get ready for classes – wait. Examinations, were there examinations today? No, Transfiguration had been the last; today was a free day, for the fifth years to relax after OWLs. Oh god, Transfiguration. She vaguely remembered doing to paper, writing, writing, writing… She'd been so distracted! Lily groaned and covered her face with her hands, forgetting the others in her dormitory.

"Lily? Are you awake?" Lillian said softly.

"Yeah," Lily replied, pushing herself into a sitting position. The room, still defined in grey but with the unmistakable light of morning peering in, swung and blurred for a second, and she shut her eyes, waiting for the nausea to pass. She heard Lillian padding over, and her small weight settled on her bed.

"Are you… alright?" Lily had found Lillian tended to swing between timid and quiet, and raucous and prone to giggling fits, in an unsettling manner, and they'd never been close, especially not with Severus always around. But now he wasn't, and the genuine concern in Lillian's large grey eyes made Lily guiltily think that maybe she'd judged her too quickly.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, yeah." she bit back the stream of words, and they lapsed into an awkward silence.

"The others are still asleep, you should use the bathroom first and we'll all go down to breakfast together." Lillian suddenly blurted out.

Lily nodded and got out of bed, wincing when her feet touched the cold floor, and headed for the bathroom.

"Lily?" Lillian whispered on an impulse. "Y'know, I've never, like, not wanted to be your friend. I know we're not, really, but if you, uh, need one, I'm, well, here," she finished awkwardly. "Oh, just go use the bathroom," she humphed, smiling tentatively.

Lily managed a genuine smile and stepped inside the bathroom, closing the door carefully. She winced at her reflection in the mirror. Tousled hair, blemished skin, and eyes puffy with that look she got after she cried.

_It'll be fine, _she told herself. _Class is over, the end of the year is coming up, and I'll just keep away from him. _

* * *

><p>She didn't look too good.<p>

James' eyes zoned in on Lily as she walked into the Great Hall surrounded by the other Gryffindor girls in her year, and chatting with the beater for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Lillian seemed timid and politely reserved when you first met her, but once she relaxed around you… Though you wouldn't think it with her small stature and dark hair always tied back neatly, she was, maybe not the best, but the most enthusiastic beater James had ever seen.

"Ooh," said Sirius quietly, and James could hear the wince in his voice. "Evans looks rubbish."

Remus looked up from the Daily Prophet he was scanning and frowned at his two friends. "I heard that she's been a right mess since your nice public little row."

James looked indignant. "I didn't make Snape say that to her! Ungrateful little- a Slytherin like him, what do you expect?"

"Well, maybe you went a bit far with it, Prongs." Remus said firmly. "Attacking Snape for amusement every time you see fit isn't exactly the paragon of Gyrffindor courage, is it?"

"He deserves it, the Slytherin git." Sirius said angrily.

Peter blinked. "Blimey Moony, when did you get all righteous?"

"Since Mary told me how broken up Lily was last night." Remus returned smoothly. "However tough she may be with you, James, she's still a 15-year old girl. I mean, who really cares about Snape?"

Sirius snorted.

"But," Remus continued, "Lily's a Gryffindor too, and she's decent. James, you maybe you should apologise."

James scoffed and choked on his pumpkin juice. Wormtail knocked him on the back a few times, nodding thoughtfully.

"Are you serious? Apologise for Snape calling her that? Besides, she's gonna hex me the moment I try to speak to her!" James protested. "Tear me apart limb by limb! She might be all chummy with you, Moony, but have you forgotten that she _hates_ me? How is me apologising supposed to help anyway?"

Remus shrugged. "She's a girl. Their minds work in strange ways."

"I resent that," Mary Macdonald said as she smoothly slipped onto the bench between James and Peter. Ignoring the latter's scowl, she turned to James and jabbed a finger at his face. "_You_ are going to stay away from Lily for an indeterminate period of time. Yes?"

"How many times am I going to have to ask how it is my fault?" James said, annoyed as he pushed her finger away. "You should be saying that to Snape, not me."

Mary's gaze didn't waver. "He's not at breakfast; I think he's got the idea. You did provoke him after all, and-" she continued as James opened his mouth to retort, "even though Lily would had to have been disillusioned about him sooner or later, you know she's still going to blame you."

Sirius shrugged at him. "That sounds about right."

"At least try not to, like, ask her out every time you see her, hmm?" Mary said, standing up. "That's all, enjoy your breakfast."

She smiled at the four of them brightly and went back to where Lily was sitting, surrounded by her entourage.

"Well," Remus said after a pause, "now all you have to do is keep away from her. Easy enough, eh?"

* * *

><p>As things would have it, James did manage to keep mostly away from Lily, which was no small feat considering they were in the same house, ate at the same table, and had mostly the same classes. And Mary was right, keeping his distance did seem to work fairly well and he recounted, with a pathetic amount of excitement and hope, that Lily had even said 'good morning' to him when they'd passed each other in the Common Room the last week of school, albeit a bit vacantly.<p>

School had ended for the year, and the cheerfulness in the air couldn't be missed, like a bad smell. Students milled around the station with screeching pets in cages, calling to each other and adding to the bustling scene. Sirius swatted at the puffs of white smoke lingering against the cloudless blue sky as he carefully levitated his trunk to where James was standing, the Hogwarts Express before him in all its scarlet glory. With a grin, Sirius stepped up beside him and clapped his free hand onto his friend's shoulder, breathing in deeply.

"Ah, d'you smell that? Freedom is in the air, families are to be reunited, a summer of relaxation is before us." He scowled. "Course, I'm going to be locked up with my mad family."

James turned to face him, and smirked. "You're always welcome at my place; you know how Mum adores you. Seriously, you could stay for the entire holiday if you want."

"I might just take you up on that." Sirius said gloomily. He spent more time out of the house than in anyways, but the disapproval of his mother, which he treated as more a sign that he was on the right path, was particularly heavy these days, what with the increase in muggle and muggleborn attacks. And Regulus' sneering and jibes didn't help at all. He only had to walk up the stairs and see those house elves all lined up in a row to remind him just how messed up his family was.

The train's whistle shrieked and he winced. "C'mon, we'd better get on board. I think Moony's gone to save us a compartment."

They were walking down the train's narrow corridor, balancing against the swaying of the carriage, and peering into each compartment trying to find their friends, when Sirius saw a wholly unwelcome figure approach from the other way. He froze and glared at the Slytherin, feeling James prod his back and come to his side.

"Snape," Sirius growled. "What are you doing here?" He said it less like a question and more like a threat. Beside him, he could almost feel James' glower add to his own.

Snape sneered at them, his greasy hair hanging over his face. "Black, Potter. I'm going to the bathroom, if you must know."

"They're behind you," Sirius said suspiciously.

Snape was momentarily flustered, and his gaze flickered to the compartment they were outside.

Curious, James pushed past Sirius and looked through the glass of the door. When he turned back, his face was contorted with contempt.

"Oh, of _course,_" he said, "you're going to try and beg for her back again, you worthless worm."

Ignoring the Remus-like voice that applauded James' use of alliteration, Sirius sighed inwardly. It had to be Lily Evans, and it was confirmed when he stepped forward and looked in; there she sat, comparing chocolate frog cards with some other girls and oblivious to what was brewing outside.

"Compared to _you_, always trailing pathetically behind her, and she _hates_ you." Snape spat back, and Sirius made a show of wiping spittle off his cheek.

"This isn't about me," James started angrily, but Snape cut in derisively.

"It's _always_ about you; you don't even care about Lily, you don't even know her."

"_I_ don't – y_ou_ were the who called her _that_ in front of half the school, when she was trying to help!"

Sirius was surprised that the two of them hadn't started hurling hexes at each other right from the beginning, but just as the thought crossed his mind, James and Snape both reached for their wands. It was one of those long, stretched-out moments; as James and Snape pulled out wands and pointed them at each other in one fluid movement, the compartment door slid open and out stepped the girl herself, a thunderous expression on her face. The two looked so shocked to see her, as if they'd forgotten there was only a door between them, that Sirius almost laughed at their comical expressions.

"Hello, Evans" he said pleasantly, thrusting his hands into his pockets.

She ignored him, and he was surprised once again, that her next words were not a yell.

"Potter," Lily said through gritted teeth, a warning in her voice to choose his next words very carefully, "what are you doing?"

"Well _I_ was just trying to find Remus and Peter, and old Snivelly here happened to be in my way." James said, eyeing Snape as he lowered his wand.

Sirius sighed. Nope, James didn't get the warning.

"He just… happened to be in your way," Lily repeated, voice dangerous. "And you couldn't walk past him without hexing him?"

James heard the ice in her words and his hand flew up and ruffled his hair. Lily's brow furrowed.

"He was going to apologise, and I couldn't – after he called you that." James burst out, panicked.

At this, Snape opened his mouth to say something, and Lily turned to him, expression blank.

"I don't want to hear it. Please just leave me alone."

Snape looked at her helplessly, before turning on his heel and striding back the way he'd come.

After he left, Lily's face collapsed and she turned back towards her compartment, where the girls had been watching. Mary, who was among them, looked at Sirius with an exasperated expression. _Just a few more hours? _she mouthed.

As Lily was about to close the door, James burst out, "Lily?"

She turned back, face stony.

"I'm sorry, about – him, you didn't deserve to be treated like that, but he was a git, and –" James caught himself, realising now might not be a good time for a 'I told you so', "yeah, I'm sorry."

Lily stared at him for a moment. "I can fight my own battles," she said, levelly at least, and turned around, closing the door with a soft click.

As hers closed another, a few compartments down, opened, and Peter stuck his head out, eyes lighting up when he saw them. "Oh good, I thought I heard your voices!"

Then he saw their expressions and his face fell a bit. "Oh… not good?"

Sirius sighed loudly and started dragging towards their compartment, away from Lily Evans, and wished that his friend would just shake his addled head and forget about her. Maybe they should think about obliviating him…

* * *

><p><strong>Finally got another chapter finished, heh... My, aren't I dedicated?<br>**

**Happy New Year, and I hope 2013 treats you well!**

**You could, y'know, maybe leave me a review to commemorate the event? :)  
><strong>


	6. Chapter 6: Noteworthy

**Chapter Six- Noteworthy**

"Oh, Evans?"

Lily scrambled up from where she'd been lying on the couch by the fireplace, staring out one of the windows in the Gryffindor Common Room. As she pulled herself hastily into an upright position, she realised who had spoken and groaned inwardly as she looked up to see James Potter. Smirking at her as he adjusted his spectacles, he came down the last step of the staircase to the boy's dormitories. His hair was as untidy as ever, sparking a twinge of annoyance in her, and he was wearing only a grey t-shirt and striped shorts in Gryffindor colours, standing barefoot on the stone.

"Oh, you," she said, still flustered from the unexpected entrance, the irritation of being near him not yet beginning to bloom. "What are you doing here? And," she added, seeing his mouth open, "don't give me that rubbish about living here or whatever."

Potter's grin widened. "You know me so well. But if you are so curious, I was just coming down to look for something. So if you'd just excuse me one second; it's rather dear to me."

For a detestable second, Lily wondered if he was going to twist that to mean her, but she quashed it quickly. No, for the month or so of school so far, he'd been quite indifferent to her, something that she felt carried on from last year's happenings. So she was quite annoyed that every time he _didn't_ ask her out or walked past with just a smile it only served to remind her why exactly he was being so careful and… abnormal. Which she knew was silly, as reminders of Severus were everywhere, and she really should just enjoy the peace. Actually, Mary's 'word with him', as she'd described it after being poked at suspiciously by Lily, seemed to be more effective than she'd hoped. Potter and his little group seemed to have gone as far as to stop hexing random students as they passed by, or perhaps it was just not around her. It'd only been a month or so anyway, too early to tell. But she couldn't help feeling a little affronted. She wasn't _that_ fragile that he had to tread on tiptoes around her for so long.

As all this ran through Lily's mind, she realised Potter had been crouching down and peering into all the nooks and crannies around the room, and checking all the furnishings, though he seemed to be leaving the area where she was sitting to last. His relief when he tugged out an old, silvery cloak from between the cushions of a sagging couch was palpable, and he turned and beamed at her. The cloak Potter was holding seemed to be made of a light, flowing material that rippled in his hands, and Lily frowned at it before he bunched it up in his hands.

"So," he said conversationally, moving over and dropping into the armchair opposite her, "what are _you_ doing down here at this awfully late hour?"

_He's not leaving. Why isn't he leaving?_

"I was starting on that Transfiguration essay we got today, and then everyone left and it was just so quiet and nice," Lily said, shrugging.

_Are you having a conversation with that prat? What are you _doing_? _a small part of her shrieked.

Potter nodded, and there was a pause, not entirely uncomfortable. He looked kind of nervous, Lily noticed.

"Sometimes I can't believe I'm actually here," she continued, the shrieking in her head growing more panicked. "That Hogwarts actually _exists, _and I'm here learning magic…"

"Yes, I know," James said eagerly, leaning forward. "You hear all this brilliant stuff about it, but when I actually saw it for the first time in that little boat back in first year…" he shook his head, smiling, "wow."

Lily raised an eyebrow at him. "Somehow my memory of that time was more of you and Sirius capsizing your boat and less of awe."

"Well, people have different ways of expressing wonder," he replied, waving it away unconcernedly.

"And you decided to express it by taking a swim in an icy lake inhabited by a Giant Squid?" Lily said skeptically.

Potter leaned forward as far as he could without leaving his seat, his hazel eyes boring into her emerald ones with a serious expression.

"Exactly!" he said, snapping his fingers in front of her face and breaking into a wide grin. He sprawled back against the armchair and continued grinning as Lily rolled her eyes. Her gaze fell onto the fat white glow of the moon outside and she looked back at Potter, frowning.

"Hey, Potter," she started, "is Remus okay?"

Potter's grin melded into a carefully puzzled smile. "Remus? Yeah, he's absolutely fine."

The crease between Lily's brows grew deeper, and she bit her lip as she decided what to say next.

"It's just that he looks awfully peaky even though the full moon's still a week away, and if there's anything I can do, at all –"

If James had been drinking anything, he would've spat it out, and he looked utterly shocked and confused as he managed a choked, "What?"

Lily looked at him strangely. "Remus' lycanthropy. So, I've read a few books to see if he should be showing signs this early, but of course there's not that many sources –"

"W-w-_wait_ a minute," Potter held up a hand and peered at her incredulously. "You know about Remus? Does he know you know? Oh." He stopped suddenly, voice suddenly dead. "Did Snape tell you?"

Lily noted with satisfaction that she felt barely a twinge at the mention of his name, and then she scowled at James. "No, he _didn't_, though he did drop some rather obvious clues. But I'd gathered before that anyway. I mean, we've always had lunar charts in Astronomy, and your excuses are feeble." She snorted, reminiscing. "There was that one time in third year where three of you each gave a different excuse as to where he'd been."

"Wait, just stop talking, shush," Potter said, looking down at his hands and not noticing the indignation that flashed across her face. "Did you tell anyone? You _can't _tell anyone, at all, or –"

"Of course I didn't!" Lily burst out angrily, before quieting down with a guilty look towards the dormitories. "I'm not going to go around telling everyone, who do you take me for?"

"Right," Potter said slowly. "So Remus doesn't know that you know?" A quick shake of the head from her. "And you're okay with it?" An exaggerated nod. "Right," he repeated, running a hand through his hair.

Lily pulled up her legs and sat cross-legged, scowling at the carpet. When she heard Potter stifle a yawn, she could bear it no longer and barked out a short "Well?"

"Well what?" he said, looking startled.

"Is Remus _alright?_"

"Oh, oh yeah," he replied, looking relieved. "He says coupling it with school strain makes him look worse but he doesn't start feeling it until just a few days before."

"Well, good," Lily said, nodding and sinking back into silence.

It was the first real conversation that she'd had with Potter since the end of OWLs last year, though she supposed that she couldn't really call her previous exchanges with him 'conversations'.

_Well, I've just had a mostly civil conversation with Potter, _she thought incredulously. _That's either good or extremely bad._

He didn't seem to want to continue it as he was staring at his knees with a slight frown on his face, not paying her any attention. After a few more seconds of silence, Lily shrugged inwardly and turned back towards the window, leaning her head against the couch and went back to watching the night sky, where a few stars twinkled around the light haze of clouds, and an owl would occasionally fly out or back towards the castle. But as she tried to reclaim the peaceful atmosphere, the presence to her side seemed to be pressing on her, the sound of his breaths seeming to get louder, and she couldn't help her mind drifting to their conversation. When Lily had just about had enough and was going to stand up and announce that she was going to bed, she heard Potter shift, and waited to see if he was going to leave first. But there was no voice or sound of footsteps, so she heaved a sigh and swung around to announce that, though a _pleasure_ this had been, she need get some sleep.

And saw a sleeping Potter, head resting on the arm of the chair, his glasses crooked and feet curled under him. Lily sat there for a while, old habits dying hard as she half-expected him to crack open an eye and jump up. To see his tall figure squashed into that old armchair, she remembered what she'd once said and thought that maybe a mother could love that face, small and innocent in his sleep, after all. Then she snorted quietly and cursed the fact that she didn't have anything to capture the moment with. Lily got up quietly and was about to go when she looked at the embers of the fire, which before had cast the room in a cosy sort of orange, but were now nearly dead, leaving the room looking dark and cold. With a sigh and knowing she would regret this later, she picked up Potter's precious cloak from where it'd fallen at the foot of the armchair, and she laid it on him gently. Then she suppressed a gasp. All that remained of Potter was his still-sleeping head and shoulders, and Lily was about the go prod at the empty space where his body had been before she caught herself, thinking how the night had got to her head. Invisibility Cloak, of course. No wonder Potter didn't want to lose it,; it was probably invaluable in setting up their pranks. With a rueful shake of the head, she took it off him, thinking about how people would react if they saw half of James Potter lying there the next day. Folding up the Cloak and placing it on the armchair by his head, Lily took a blanket that was draped over one of the other couches and covered the sleeping boy with it, careful not to wake him.

As she walked up the spiral staircase towards her dormitory, she couldn't get over what she'd just done. They'd had a nice little conversation alone in the Common Room in the dead of the night, and had she just _tucked him in_? Lily couldn't help thinking that this was a premonition that something terrible was going to happen, in a 'make peace with your enemies before you are all smote' kind of way, and she groaned quietly, wishing for her soft bed and the oblivion of sleep.

* * *

><p>"She <em>what<em>?" Remus, Sirius and Peter looked at James with identical expressions of shock as he took a swig of pumpkin juice, grinning.

Peter looked around nervously, but thankfully the subject of their conversation was not at breakfast.

"Wait," Remus said faintly, holding up a hand. "So, you had a nice little midnight chat with Lily, and she casually mentioned the fact that I'm a –" lowering his voice, "– _werewolf_, saying that she'd known for years and hadn't even mentioned it to _me_, and that she doesn't care that I'm… I'm –" he cut off, massaging his temples before turning to James with a helpless expression. "Yeah she's something. Go for it, Prongs."

James, now brandishing a sausage on his fork, pointed it at Sirius. "_After _which, I accidentally dozed off and she covered me up with a blanket!"

Sirius shook his head. "Bloody mental, she is."

"But Prongs," Peter said tentatively, "don't you think it might be a bit early to start asking her out again? I mean, she's warming up to you! Acting now might undo all that."

James ' grin didn't falter. "My dear Wormtail, who said anything about _now_? I'll wait until Transfiguration."

"That's in twenty minutes," Remus frowned.

"Brilliant," James said happily.

* * *

><p>"You <em>what<em>?" Lillian squealed, and Lily winced.

They were in the currently empty Transfiguration classroom, perched on the desks. The moment Lily had seen the Marauders enter the Great Hall, she'd made a hurried excuse about homework and left, dragging Lillian along with her. Lillian was none too happy to miss out on the argument between Alice and Mary about relationships with graduated students, namely, Frank Longbottom. She'd insisted that Lily tell her why they were escaping ("We're not _escaping_!"), so that was how she'd found herself spilling the whole of last night's happenings, skipping over the part about Remus, to the curious girl.

"That is so cute," Lillian said with a dreamy smile on her face, "like in the movies, and when he wakes up in the morning, he sees the blanket, realises, and _smiles_."

"Oh, I hope not," Lily shuddered.

"He's not that bad, y'know," Lillian said slyly. "Since that verbal bashing you gave him last year, I think he's really trying to reform."

Lily gaped for a second. Could it really have slipped her mind that he might've actually listened to what she'd yelled at him? No, actually it was quite a good judgment by her brain to not even consider that point. "Reform? Not bloody likely," she snorted.

As Lillian opened her mouth with that infuriatingly knowing look, Lily cut her off with a bright smile.

"Oh look, I do believe it's time for class!"

Right on cue, the first of the N.E.W.T Transfiguration class began to trickle in, and Lily took the seat next to a disgruntled Lillian. A minute later, Professor McGonagall herself arrived along with the last few students, including (Lily was suddenly very interested in the Transfiguration text) the Marauders. Professor McGonagall was very big on punctuality, and it looked like even those four Gryffindor boys didn't want to risk her wrath this year. As the last student hurried into their seat, Professor McGonagall began talking, her customary strict expression no different today. Lily concentrated very hard on her lecture about some conjuring charm, studiously ignoring the fact that James Potter and his friends were only slightly behind her, to the right. After requests for repetition of certain aspects were granted and questions answered, though the askers looked still as confused, Professor McGonagall asked them to try the spell, with an essay on the complications of conjuring multiple creatures due next week. One of these became apparent half an hour later; Black uttered a startled yelp as a dead canary burst out his wand to land on his desk with a sickening thump. Professor McGonagall Vanished it with a sigh, and the class, a bit more wary, turned back to their work.

Another half and hour passed and, after their teacher explained the logistics and execution ("it's _ah-vis, _not ay-vis!") of the spell once more, Potter succeeded in conjuring a dozen of the little yellow birds with a bang that made everyone start. His birds were perfectly fine, flying around his head and giving the appearance of a yellow halo. _Ironic, really,_ Lily thought. Points were awarded, and looking overly pleased, James bent over his desk and began tearing up parchment. Lily saw that none of his friends looked surprised at his behaviour, though Pettigrew sighed loudly before going back to waving his wand dejectedly. She went back to her work before Potter could catch her staring, and frowned in determination. The class was ending soon and she'd managed one measly little feather. Before she could attempt the spell again, however, half of Potter's birds had flown in front of her, each clutching a piece of parchment with scribbles on it in their beaks. One by one, they flew down and dropped their pieces on her desk. By now, half the class were craning their necks to watch. The birds had placed the parchment in a line, and had made this sentence:

_Go with out me Evans? _

Before Lily could voice her confusion, one of the canaries fluttered back and quickly swapped 'with' and 'out'.

Potter was asking her out? Now? He must've seen last night as a sign or something, and he thought she'd agree because of that one conversation when their last proper encounter had been her shouting abuse at him while he dangled her ex-best friend in the air? Lily felt some of that good old infuriation that she associated with Potter, but before she could do anything, Professor McGonagall spoke.

"As much as we are enthralled by your relationship, Mr Potter and Miss Evans, perhaps Transfiguration is not the time?" she said dryly.

There were titters from some of the class, and Lily felt her face burn. "Of course, Professor," she mumbled, and Potter called out a cheerful 'alright'.

"If we could concentrate on our work for the last ten minutes, unless you have an answer for Mr Potter, Miss Evans?" Professor McGonagall said.

Lily ducked her head. "No, Professor."

She heard someone whisper loudly, "Is that her answer?"

Bloody Potter. And she was slipping in Transfiguration, inconsiderate git.

The class went back to their spell-casting once more, and Lily avoided Lillian's gaze. But she had barely a minute or two of peace before one of the canaries, most of which were now flying freely around the room, flew over once more, surreptitiously dropping a note in her lap.

_Sorry about that, Evans_, it read.  
><em>Got to say, I'm not forgetting that night any time soon.<em>  
><em>Was acceptably warm throughout.<em>

_Thanks,_

_James_

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><p><strong>Yay, another chapter!<br>**

**I hope their midnight chat thing wasn't too tedious and cliché; these chapters are getting longer than I'd expected. ****Oh, also, I originally planned the last scene in DADA, but I got too enamoured with Patronuses so you can find what became of the idea in the one-shot I published, if you're interested.**

**James (and I suppose the rest of the Marauders) go through some serious character development through the years and I'm not sure I'm happy with my characterisations in earlier chapters. I just like them a lot and it's much easier to write them as the good guys. I'd gratefully welcome any tips you have for writing the Marauders as the bullying pricks that Lily detested in their earlier days! **

**Leave a review on your way out, yes? :)**


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